


Etheria High

by OhMyGay



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: AU, F/F, High School AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:20:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25678756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhMyGay/pseuds/OhMyGay
Summary: What happens when Adora and Catra start to reconnect their senior year of high school? Adora is the linebacker, Catra is a rebel without a cause, and everyone can sense the tension between them. Welcome to Etheria High School. Go Royals! Rated M in case I decide to get spicy later on.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

I thought that I was done writing fan fiction like 6 years ago but apparently I’m back at it again because there is not nearly enough wholesome lesbian and queer content in this world. And goodness knows we could all use a bit of distraction and entertainment these days. So, without further ado, a She-Ra AU that nobody ever asked for. Enjoy! :) 

Italics are flashbacks

Chapter One- Etheria High

A tiny girl with pink hair clung to the leg of her mother. She let out low stuttering cries as her kindergarten teacher tried to gently pry her away. A small blonde watched the encounter as she smashed two hot wheels cars together. A brunette approached her, carrying a handful of blocks. 

“Crying over mommy is for suckers,” the brunette commented to the girl with wide blue eyes.

“Yeah,” the blonde nodded eagerly. “School is for big tough guys like us. I’m Adora.”

“My name is Catra,” she replied. “Do you wanna smash block towers with your cars?”

“Yeah!”  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

“Catra, you’re partnered up with Adora.”

“Oh hell no!” The girl piped up from the back row. 

For years, Catra had been rather successful at blending into the background with a cold, calculating look. Senior year had changed that. Not the cold, calculating look; that would never change. But at some point over the summer, she had really grown into herself. Most days, she sported a red leather jacket and ripped black jeans. Her once cropped hair had grown out, held back in a ponytail and shaved on the sides. She kept her sideburns long and dyed a lighter color. She had grown to become leader of her group of misfits and general miscreants. But most of all, she no longer stood quiet and just accepted the idiocy of her education. Or anyone, at that. 

Her feet swung down from where they rested on the table, combat boots slamming against the tile floor. “I am not letting that meat-headed jock bring down my GPA.”

The blonde in the front row turned to look at her, “I don’t mind.”

“Of course you don’t mind,” Catra rolled her eyes. She eyed Adora as she came to sit next to her. Stupid red letterman jacket, a white turtleneck crop top- and what was the point of that anyway? Her neck was cold but her dumb chiseled abs somehow kept her stomach warm? Annoying. God, and that hair! Catra couldn’t decide if the football player wore a bump-it under her hair or her head had just permanently taken the shape of her helmet. 

“Hey Adora,” She greeted the blonde snarkily. 

Adora wasn’t thrown by Catra’s attitude. She was used to a few nags from the smaller girl at this point. For some reason, though, the purr to her voice always ruffled Adora in a way she didn’t quite understand. Adora ignored the feeling and sat down. 

“Alright class, we’re going to be doing a group assignment on the psychology of cults,” the teacher spoke, ignoring the death stare from the punk girl in the back. “You and your partner will be looking at the mechanics of a cult of your choice. You’ll be analyzing what defines the cult and what makes an individual vulnerable to them.”

“Huh?” A blonde boy spoke unintentionally to the right of Catra. 

“For example, Kyle,” Ms. Weaver continued. “One might read up on the policies and mission statement of a cult and then analyze their members. You will then write up on why those individuals may be attracted to that specific organization. It will be a written paper, due in two weeks.”

“What do we want to do our presentation on? I have a few ideas,” Adora turned to face the scowling girl to her side.

“You can have ideas, QB? I thought you’d been knocked in the head too many times for those to form.” 

Adora felt her irritation quickly rise. “I’m linebacker, not the quarterback...”

“Is that the guy who stands in the back when you enter the field and wipes up when the Neanderthals wet themselves with excitement?” Catra was leaned back in her chair again. Her boots came down on top of Adora’s notebook. 

“Do you have to sit like that?” Adora bit back. 

“I do, in fact,” the girl replied. “I forged the doctor's note myself.”

“You’re infuriating,” Adora growled, sweeping the girls feet off of the desk. 

Before Adora could react, Catra swung her legs underneath her chair and swept it out from beneath the blonde. Adora’s feet were back on the ground as quickly as she had fallen. She grabbed Catra by the jacket and yanked her forward. Their faces were inches apart as Adora dragged the girl to her level. 

“Watch yourself, Catra,” Adora warned the girl. 

Catra quickly shook the shock from her face and shoved the blonde off of her. “So the meathead has rage.”

“Ladies, sit down before I send you to spend some quality time alone in detention,” their teacher was suddenly upon them, glaring heavily. Ms. Weaver had been wary of Catra since the day she walked into her classroom. 

The two girls sat in seething silence after their exchange. They were both too stubborn to break the silence. It went far beyond their little spat in the back of their psychology class. There was years of unspoken tension between the two. It festered like an open wound when they were near each other. Before either had seceded from their battle, the bell rang. 

‘Fuck,’ Catra thought to herself. Not that she’d ever admit out loud, but her grades were important to her. She cared about what people thought of her intelligence. She cared about proving herself better than the golden girl Adora.

“Did Bow drive you in today,” she asked the blonde just as she was about to turn into the hallway. Her hand wrapped around the jock’s bicep. 

Adora’s expression softened at the touch and she sighed, “Yes, he did.”

Catra let her hand linger, “Meet me after school. I’ll drive you home and we can work on this stupid project.”

“I’ll be by the back entrance,” Adora nodded. She raised a hand to meet the girls and gave it a squeeze before slipping down the hall to her next class.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Kitty!” The bulldozer of a platinum blonde charged towards the punk as she entered the gym. She picked the tiny girl up into her arms. 

“Scorpia!” Catra grunted. “Put me down. And stop calling me that”

“But it’s so cute!” Scorpia pouted as she placed the tiny blob of anger back onto the ground. 

As their gym instructor called for laps on the track, Catra and her group made their way outside unchanged and with no intention of running. As long as the burnouts participated once a week, their instructor passed them with the bare minimum. Most of the week, they got away with fooling around on the sidelines. Rogelio and Lonnie took turns trying to get wads of paper to stick in Kyle's hair as they sat on the bleachers. Scorpia sat beside Catra, looking up at the clouds. She would point to clouds and then elbow Catra to show her the shapes. Catra would mumble and give a glance up to satisfy the enthusiastic girl. 

Rather than engage fully with the girl beside her, Catra glazed over watching the field. Cheer was using the period to practice the halftime show for homecoming the next week. The cheerleaders at Etheria High we’re called the Princesses, all clad in pink and white. It was a stupid play on their school team name, the Royals. The girls were always so annoyingly upbeat. It drove Catra absolutely wild. She couldn’t stand to be near any of them for fear of losing brain cells. They weren’t the reason she was watching.  
Adora participated in their halftime shows. She was the token girl on the team and someone the school boasted about at every moment. They were morons for only seeing her as a star player and not who she was; and even worse, that’s all Adora had begun to see herself as. She would take center field, clad in her jersey, tossing princesses into the air. To their credit, she was probably the only person who could throw people in the air with precision, all alone, and still catch them gracefully. It was a sight to be seen. 

Catra watched as the blonde practiced, her muscles flexing with every movement. As much as she hated the idiotic sport, it had done Adora’s body well. When they had returned to school for Sophomore year, Adora had grown several inches and bulked up tremendously over the summer. Alone with her mind, she had no problem admitting that year had changed the way she looked at Adora. 

Suddenly she was met with piercing blue eyes and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She offered a little wave. Adora was confused but not at all unhappy to find the girl’s eyes on her. She gave a big wave back. Catra’s moods had been stagnant the last couple of years so if she finally had a window to get Catra back, she would do anything to seize the opportunity. Anything, with the exception of making a first move. Their relationship had always been a game of tough guy Russian roulette, seeing who might accidentally fold the act first. 

“Who is that?” Glimmer asked Adora, gazing up at the stands. The girl in question ducked as soon as she saw the pastel-haired girl looking. 

“Catra,” Adora replied, bringing her eyes to the girl she was talking to. 

Glimmer was head Princess. She was the one who had invited Adora to join the team's rehearsals, so that she had a sense of sisterhood with the team. The football team was great, but it was a lot of sweaty boys and aggressive amounts of masculinity. Glimmer had introduced her to the Princesses and given her a sense of belonging. 

“That delinquent who always sits in the back of classes?” Glimmer raised a brow. 

“She’s constantly acting so tough! It drives me crazy! She’s way too smart to be this lazy,” Adora said, a bit too aggressively judging by the startled look on Glimmers face, she groaned. “We used to be close, a couple of years back. We grew apart.”

Glimmer could sense the reservation in Adora’s tone and dropped the subject. She redirected back to practice and they carried on their way. Adora continued through the motions but she could get Catra off her mind. She couldn’t get the arm grab from earlier to stop replaying in her head. The contact had been the first in years and it had sent electricity up her body. She was so angry that that emotionally stunted, angry little girl could just decide to stumble back into her life and make her feel home again. She was... conflicted to say the least. 

“Why are you staring at Adora?” Scorpia spoke up, as Glimmer began to speak to the girl in question on the field.

“Why are you in my business?” Scorpia snapped back.

“Because we're best friends,” Scorpia smiled, unaffected by the outburst. “So why are you looking? I didn’t think you liked football... OH! Do you like football now?”

“No! I don't like football, now,” Catra rolled her eyes. “She just... pissed me off today.”

“Do you want me to beat her up?” Scorpia sounded concerned now. “She might be the only person at school that I’d be afraid to fight. I may have a few inches on her but she benches twice my weight! And I weigh quite a lot...”

“No, Scorpia, I do not want you to beat her up,” Catra sighed. She found it easier to reply to the girl in exacts, to keep her on topic. 

Unlike the other three in their group, who had missed the exchange entirely, Scorpia hadn’t been around during the fallout. Scorpia moved to Etheria years after the girls no longer spoke to one another. Catra found it easiest to speak with her because her past was sticky and complicated. Scorpia didn’t remind her of it. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Really?” Catra scowled. 

Adora shrugged as she scribbled her name on the sign up sheet. 

“Middle school is such a joke,” Catra groaned. “And now you’re gonna join the princess field hockey team?”

“Do you always have to be so mean, Catra,” the blonde pouted. 

Catra rolled her eyes but softened immediately. “Whatever, blondie. Race you to the bus.”

The two ran, shoving each other, and then hand and hand. They giggled the whole way home.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Adora waited on the sidewalk as people exited the building. It was Thursday and everyone had that excited buzz for Friday and the pending weekend. Bow stopped to check on her.

“Are you sure that you don’t want a ride home?” He asked gently. 

“No, I’ll see you there in a bit,” Adora smiled at him. He was as certain to be a sweetheart as he was to be wearing a crop top. She always admired his dedication to a certain aesthetic. “Is that Glimmer near your car?”

The boy immediately blushed, “Oh! Uh, yeah! I said since I wasn’t driving you that I would give her a ride!”

Adora smirked, “Some alone time with your girl, huh?”

“She’s not my- I, ah,” Bow furiously, nervously rubbed the back of his head. “Maybe soon...”

“Well, don’t keep her waiting on my accord.” 

After a few minutes had passed and the crowds had thinned out, a motorcycle revved up to the side of the curb. Catra puked her helmet off to greet the blonde and tossed a spare her way. Adora caught it as it hurdles into her stomach. She took a step back with a grunt. 

“You couldn’t be a little more gentle?” Adora groaned as she placed the helmet on. 

“Hop on, loser,” Catra gestured to the back of her seat. 

Adora straddled the bike behind her and instinctively wrapped her arms around Catra. She leaned in. Catra smelled really good, like orange blossom and something earthier. Catra jumped a bit at the full body contact and Adora released slightly. 

“Don’t fall off,” Catra yelled as she took off, trying her best to ride away from whatever feelings she was having in that moment.

Adora’s house was fifteen minutes away, no matter which road she decided to drive on. However, when she noticed how much the blonde's grip tightened and her body tensed when she sped, she couldn’t resist the temptation to take the highway. Adora was basically clinging to her back at this point and she wasn’t in the business of denying herself any amount of closeness with the girl. Not the opportunity to mess with the blonde. Adora was an irritating and insatiable addiction for the girl. 

Adora’s stomach was doing flips. She trusted the reckless girl in control with her whole self and that fact alone made her more nervous than the way she was weaving around traffic. 

“Do you really have to go this way!?” Adora shouted in her ear. Adora let the chin of her helmet rest atop the girl's shoulder. She stayed there and just breathed. 

Catra grinned, “Any opportunity to make you scream, wimp.”

The ice that ran through their veins at the double entendres was mutual but left unspoken. Neither knew if it was hatred or lust, nervousness or unspoken truths. Or maybe they knew and didn't want to admit anything to themselves. It was stupid, whatever it was.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-

“Are Hot Pockets okay?” Adora asked the brunette sitting at her kitchen table. “I don’t have anything else, unless you want ketchup and ice.”

“The hot pocket is fine, blondie,” Catra replied, not thinking much of the conversation. 

The two lived in affordable housing on the outskirts of Etheria. Long ago, the apartments had been built to deal with a housing crisis in their town. Now, only those who could truly afford nothing more lived in the decrepit building. It was all chalky ceiling tiles and fluorescent lighting. It was crawling with dealers and gang violence. People from the better off side of town dubbed it the Fright Zone. And when something is given a name like that, it will only rise to its reputation.

Adora had not seen her mother in two weeks but Catra needed somewhere to hide from the gang meeting in her apartment. This was usual for the two. They’d hide out in one of their apartments from the other’s. The two curled up on the couch together and ate in silence.

It wasn’t at all uncommon that they would live together for days on end. The two hardly slept apart, often found crashed on the couch or crawled into bed together. Tonight, Catra fell asleep first, her body stretched across the blonde girl's lap. The TV light flashed across her face and lit it up. Adora watched the girl fondly. 

DCFS had come to check on Adora this week. Her mother hadn’t been home but Adora made up a story about her going to the grocery store. She was only eleven, but it wasnt completely unreasonable for her to be home alone. After not finding anything particularly condemning, they left the girl with warning that they would be back soon. She hadn’t told the brunette yet because she was afraid to ruin everything. Catra would have done anything in her power, including confronting Adora’s mother, if she knew that Adora might be taken away. The blonde couldn’t chance that. It wouldn’t benefit anyone and she could handle this herself. But she knew it wasn’t likely that she’d be staying in her home much longer.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“This is where you live now?” Catra deadpanned, standing in front of the house. 

“Uhm, yeah,” Adora rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. She had been adopted by George and Lance three years ago and lived there for four, but she still wasn’t used to the sheer size of the house yet. It had to be as big as it was to house the 14 kids. 

Catra said nothing more as the tall girl showed her inside. There were four floors inside the house, two of which were dedicated solely to relaxation and electronics. The third floor was entirely bedrooms. Catra snickered as they passed Bow's room, the door decorated with a sparkly sign that was no doubt made by glimmer. Adora opened the last door. The room could have comfortably slept a family of five. The decorations were strange, like Adora had just picked the room out of a catalogue and it had been arranged just like the photo. A huge bed stood to one side but it was otherwise pretty empty. 

“Sorry, I don’t have enough stuff to make a room this size feel full,” Adora noticed the girls stare around the room. 

Catra just huffed in response and flung herself onto the jock’s bed. It looked comfortable and Catra was a sucker for a good bed. Adora smiled at the sight. She had missed the girl, like everyday. But Catra had made it very clear as the years went on that she wanted nothing to do with her. Adora wasn’t the type to be where she wasn’t wanted.

“So what do we wanna do our stupid project on?” Catra spoke up from the bed. She kicked her boots off and onto the floor, where they landed with a thunk.

“I was thinking maybe we do something classic like Heaven’s Gate or something.”

“Yeah or maybe we could do the Princesses,” Catra rolled her eyes. “You think I’d get extra points for interviewing an actual brainwashed member?”

“Cheerleading isn’t a cult,” Adora furrowed her brows. “And I’m not even on the team!”

“The ideology of the cult is defined by charismatic leaders, blind faith in something, and an appeal to become a part of something greater,” Catra rattled off. “Plus it’s only weirder that you’re not on the team and you hang out with them.”

“You’re a nerd,” Adora smirked. She sat on the end of her bed. 

“The Princesses are a cult,” Catra replied. “And you gave in. So we’ve got an easy perspective as to why someone would join.”

“And why do you think I joined?” Adora furrowed her brows. 

“Lack of brain cells?” Catra deadpanned. “Or maybe it’s a general desire to please everyone.”

“I’m not stupid!” Adora protested. She shifted to look the girl in the eyes. “Why do you insist on making me feel like I am?”

“Because you’re the golden girl of Etheria High. It drives me absolutely crazy,” Catra stood up and balled her fists. “What would your rich bitch princesses think about you being from the fright zone?”

“They wouldn’t care, Catra!” Adora crossed her arms. “They don’t care.”

The reality was that Adora rarely spoke of her past. She quickly grew tired of the hush that would fall over a conversation when she spoke of something from her past. The first time it happened, Adora had shared that her mother was killed as her class spoke about Mother’s Day. The entire room got quiet. She had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. It happened two or three times after that before Adora shut down completely. When everyone spoke about birthdays, family, holidays, or their childhoods, Adora stayed quiet. Her friends knew about where she came from but they didn’t know much more. 

“But I do!” Catra raised her voice. “You’re not one of them.”

“The way we were living wasn’t healthy, Catra,” Adora’s voice broke. 

“So you just left me because I wasn’t good enough,” Catra confirmed. She turned to storm out and this time Adora stopped her. “Get off of me, blondie!”

“We have a project to do,” Adora suggested in a weak voice. “We can do it on the Princesses if you really want... I actually think it would make an interesting paper...”

“Fine.” 

Things were spoken, but still more needed to be said. Neither girl was ready to go there yet. They sat, murmuring ideas every now and then. Both wrote in notebooks, the only sound to fill the gaps was pen on paper. They filled in the basic stuff on their own and compared notes. Finally, Catra’s rage subsided. It was just as infuriating that things were able to feel so normal after everything. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The phone rang, again and again. Catra grew more nervous by the second. Again, she was met by Adora’s voicemail. Fuck. She started nervously pacing her room, wall to wall. She pieced together the chain of events once more in her mind. Adora said that her mother was home, that she brought a new man into their apartment. She went silent for twenty minutes. There was a gunshot. She hadn’t heard from Adora since. 

Now, she didn’t know for sure that the shot had rung out from the blonde’s apartment. But, at the same time, she did. She felt it in her gut. The only thing keeping her from knocking down her door right now was the knowledge that it could make things 100% worse. 

She dialed Adora’s phone again. If she was okay, she was gonna be so passed that Catra had used all of her minutes on this. Adora bought her the flip phone in her hands for her birthday. They both had tracfones and the only number in them was each others’. 

“Catra, I’m okay,” the blonde whispered into the phone in place of the usual ‘hello’. 

“Why the fuck didn’t you answer, Adora?” Catra hissed into the phone. 

“My mom is dead, Catra,” Adora’s voice was steely. “I have to call the cops. Warn your family that the police will be in the building.” 

Catra was met with a click of a phone and silence. She didn’t get any sleep that night and when the blonde didn’t show up for school the next day, she was absolutely on edge. It was two or three days before the girl showed up again. She looked tired. 

“Hey Adora,” Catra walked up to the girl. 

“I brought you this,” Adora spoke softly, like she was afraid to take up space. She pulled a hoodie out of her backpack and handed it to the brunette, whose eyes went wide. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping without you, and I figured you might be too... so I brought you this.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“So why did you join?” Catra spoke up, breaking the quiet atmosphere. 

Adora sighed, “I wanted to be a part of something.”

“You were a part of something,” Catra spit back. She was inches at her own seething tone.

“You know that I had to leave,” Adora replied. “I was being thrown from home to home in middle school. Joining a team was the easiest way to create a place for myself.”

“It was better than what we had?” 

‘We’. Catra stiffened at her own words. What they had was running away, holding hands as they did so. They had petty theft and shared slushies. They had comfort in one another when the rest of the world was cold and violent. When Adora was gone, all she had was cold and violent. And then cigarettes and sulking under bleachers. 

“I wanted to go back for you, to get you out of there.” 

“It’s my home,” Catra bristled. She wrote as she spoke, “Princess cult draws people in by making them feel superior to their past.”

“Catra!” Adora exclaimed. “Don’t be like that.”

“Listen, Adora, it’s fine,” Catra stood and started to pack her bag. “I’ve got what I need to write the outline. I’m gonna head out before it gets dark.”

“Will I see you at homecoming?” Adora blurted as the brunette reached the door. Her face grew pink. 

“Guess you’ll find out, Blondie.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  
“Why won’t you just come with me?” Catra was on the verge of tears.

‘I can't,” Adora sobbed. “You know that I can't. I can't go back there.”

“Just come with me. Come home, Adora,” Catra whispered.

“I have to go to my new house,” Adora’s voice cracked. “It’s better there... there’s less shooting and yelling and bad guys hanging around....”

“You’re leaving me...” Catra’s face straightened out.   
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope You Enjoyed! Comments and Kudos keep me writing!!


	3. Chapter 3

“I don’t understand anything that’s happening,” Catra muttered through a mouthful of nacho chips that she had stolen from the concession stand.

“Me neither!” Adora grinned but she had a certain sparkle to her eye as she looked at the field. “But they get to hit each other and run.”

Catra giggled and punched the girl in the shoulder. “You’re such a meathead.”

“You’re a nerd and I’m gonna tell everyone that you’re in advanced math if you keep punching me,” Adora stated matter-of-factly. 

Catra gasped, “No you wouldn’t!”

“Guess I’m not your punching bag anymore,” Adora stared straight ahead for a few moments until she turned to punch the brunette back. “Tiny.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Scorpia, I need your help,” Catra all but whined into the phone. She was absolutely desperate to be calling the big blonde. 

“Best friend adventure?” Scorpia squealed on the other side of the line. “I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

The two arrived at the mall after a long ride of Scorpia singing off-pitched to Top 40 hits. Having fully expected that exact scenario, Catra had taken a Tylenol before leaving her apartment. Much against her code to never participate in anything related to school spirit, Catra was shopping for something to wear to the homecoming dance. They were browsing the dresses and every single one that Scorpia suggested, Catra called dumb. After about twenty minutes of this, Scorpia spoke up.

“If you don’t like dances, why are we going?” She asked curiously. 

The truth was, Catra wanted to spend more time with Adora. Sure, they had fought, but Catra fought nearly everyone she encountered. She was jaded, tired, and combative. It was pretty much her default mood. Despite it all, it had felt good to be with Adora again. Deep down, Catra knew that the girl hadn’t had a choice to stay. What had always hurt was the choice she had made to move on, not to visit. And sure, the brunette had pushed her away quite a bit but she never thought that she would stay away. It was all so stupid. 

“I just thought it would be fun to mess with those morons,” Catra replied but it was a weak excuse, even for her. 

“Oh, you mean Adora?” Scorpia caught on immediately. “What’s going on with you and her?”

“What?” Catra bristled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh come on, I saw the way you looked at her,” Scorpia pushed. She was good at not relenting under the violent gaze of the brunette. 

Catra was faced with a decision: she could continue to deny that she had emotions or she could fold. For once in her life, Catra made the decision that would be easier on her. She sighed.

“I’ll tell you about it, if you really want,” Catra replied quietly. Scorpia began to approach and catra put her finger up, “I will not tell you if you hug me.”

Catra promised to tell the girl, but she needed a moment to steel herself. She decided that said gut-spilling would happen in the food court over a milkshake on Scorpia. Scorpia was silent the entire way, something the brunette had not known possible until this moment. Scorpia was afraid to scare the hardened girl, like anything she might say would change her mind.

Catra slumped into the nearest both and started to speak, quietly at first. Once she got started, her mouth would not stop moving as though it needed to expel her emotions to survive. This was the first real time that she was telling anybody about her past with the golden girl. She started with them meeting as toddlers, tearing apart blocks and defending each other from boys in the playground. She told Scorpia about how they grew up attached at the hip. That they couldn’t sleep without one another. Catra went on and on about their late nights and snacks and movies. 

“It sounds like you miss her,” Scorpia responded softly after a lull of silence. 

“She was my best friend. I loved...” Catra placed her head back against the booth. “I’ve just got so much anger.”

“You should talk to her about it,” The platinum blonde offered. “It seems like she would listen. I’ve seen her look at you too.”

“You have?” Catra perked up at the words. She quickly tried to cover for herself, “She’s probably just missing out on what she left behind. Serves her right.”

“So we’re going to the homecoming dance to let her know what she's missing?” Scorpia puzzled together, trying to speak the girl’s language. “If that's the case, I know exactly where we’re going shopping.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Catra watched as Adora ran down the field. She had absolutely no idea how Field Hockey worked. There were sticks and grunting and flinging balls. She thought that the goal was to get the ball from one side to the other but shoulder checking seemed just as important? It was like angry butterfly catching. She told Adora that after the game and got punched in the arm for it. 

That game, Catra knew the rules of. One would throw the first punch. It was light and never intended to cause any harm but would instigate a full brawl. They would never seriously injure one another. They had unspoken limits and boundaries. Everything just made sense with Adora. It was an easy succession of tease, punch, giggle, and run.

A new ritual started, though, after the first game that Catra attended. She stood just off of the field and watched as Adora scored the winning point. The team gathered together and shook hands with their opponents but as soon as Adora locked eyes with Catra, the blonde sprinted to her. Her shoulder pads made the girl look clunky. Catra giggled as they wobbled on Adora’s shoulders as she ran. Adora came right up to catra and wrapped her into an excited hug.

“You came!” Adora exclaimed. In her excitement, she leaned forward and kissed the girl’s cheek.

It was their first contact like that and Catra blushed. They had slept beside each other nights and nights in a row cuddled up, but the contact of a cheek kiss was new and had Catra rattled. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  
Adora rushed past the crowds and into the locker room. She had the girl’s field house to herself after games, so she could get fully ready for the dance. They had won the game, but that wasn’t a surprise. They didn’t usually start losing until they hit state-level competition. She was just excited to get the sweaty helmet off of her head and use her adrenaline to party. As she pulled the helmet off, she noticed the shorter brunette leaning against the wall of the fieldhouse. As if she were on autopilot, her feet carried her to Catra, who hadn’t noticed her approaching yet. 

Adora took in the girl as she got closer. Catra was wearing a maroon suit over a pale pink button-up. Her bowtie was draped around her neck, untied. Adora felt her face flush. The girl looked... really good. Her heart, which hadn’t yet calmed from the game, showed no signs of stopping as she gazed at the girl. Catra looked up and noticed the blonde staring at her. Adora’s eyelids were hooded in an expression that the brunette had never seen before. 

“You came...” Adora’s voice was raspy as she spoke, now right in front of Catra.

“I told you that I might...” Catra tried to act nonchalant until Adora placed a hand on her cheek and kissed the other. It was gentle and oh-so soft. Catra’s heart fluttered. The heat on her cheek was familiar and made her want to curl up in the blonde’s arms. This was an interaction that she understood, that she craved. 

“I’ll be right out,” Adora spoke as she took a step back. “See you in there?”

Catra nodded once before raising a hand to her cheek. She wanted more contact from the blonde’s lips. She also wanted the blonde to stop making her feel like she was home when she hadn't been in her life in years. It was annoying.


	4. Chapter 4

The music pounded into Catra’s ears. She hadn't heard any of the music they were playing before. It was all top 40 and Catra was more ‘enough metal and angst to make your ears bleed’. Lonnie and Rogelio were perched on the bleachers behind her. They were literally doing nothing, completely uninterested in what was happening. Occasionally, one would lean forward and unch Kyle, who sat at the edge of his seat watching the dance excitedly. He, unlike the rest of them, knew every word to every song. People kept glancing up at the group nervously. They were never at school events like this so they probably thought the gang was up to no good. 

Catra looked around, pretending not to be looking for Adora. Instead, her eyes fell onto Scorpia. The girl was incredibly buff and basically busting out of the tight black dress she was wearing. Catra was surprised to see her flirting with one of the Princesses. Her name was Perfuma, something Catra only remembered because she’d given out flower crowns on earth day the year before. Before the brunette could unpack what she was seeing, Scorpia spotted her and made her way over. If she was going to be bothered, she was at least relieved that the Princess hadn't tagged along.

“Were you just flirting with a princess?” Catra all but hissed.

“Oh, Perfuma?” Scorpia was flustered. “Oh gosh, no i don't think so. But she sure is pretty. So I think I would flirt with her but I don’t think I was...”

“We’re from the Fright Zone,” Catra interrupted the girl’s ramble.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Scorpia wondered.

“We don’t mess with the princesses,” Catra rolled her eyes. “We fight for our lives every day and they have their heads stuck up their privileged, glitter-filled asses.”

“Perfuma isn’t like that,” Scorpia furrowed her eyebrows. “She’s really nice. And she cares about stuff like the earth and recycling and making the world more beautiful. Just because they seem happy all the time doesn’t mean they don't have stuff going on too.”

Catra just rolled her eyes, dropping the subject. Scorpia’s words hit a little too close to home for her. She was able to keep her world so far from Adora’s and it made her life way easier. Scorpia breaking down that wall and mixing the waters made her nervous. Things were so much easier to compartmentalize when they were black and white.  
“Wow!” Scorpia exclaimed suddenly. “Adora really cleans up well. She must be excited after that big win!”

Catra’s eyes snapped up and she was sure that Scorpia noticed. Well, fuck. Adora did look fantastic. Like, really hot. She was wearing a red halter dress. It was short, baring her muscular calves all the way up to mid thigh for Catra’s eyes to admire. She was wearing sandals because gods knew she didn’t need heels. She was tall enough. The brunette watched as the blonde started to make her way towards her. Suddenly, a group of boys pulled her away.

Catra scowled. She watched as one of the boys turned to look in her direction with his ugly face. They were very obviously telling Adora to stay away from the Fright Zone kids. That pissed Catra off. That stupid boy’s stupid face made her so angry that it felt like a challenge. After a few songs, they still wouldn’t let Adora leave their company. Catra stomped towards the blonde, surprised at her own sudden reaction. This stupid Brad-looking mother fucker wasn’t going to get in the way of her dancing with Adora. Which, before that thought, wasn’t something Catra had really admitted she wanted to do. There was a chorus of ‘Heys’ that erupted as Catra busted through the circle of testosterone.

“Blondie,” Catra deadpanned. “You owe me a dance.”

Alright, so the brunette definitely had a crush on the blonde. She wasn’t embarrassed to admit that to herself. Adora was literally gorgeous and they had so much history. But it wasn’t like Adora would ever feel the same way. She was whole, she had family and friends now. Her future was bright and she was beloved by all. It wasn’t possible that she could ever want Catra.

Adora sensed the tiny girl’s thoughts moving a million miles an hour. They may have lost touch but Adora hadn’t forgotten how to comfort her best friend. Despite the tough exterior, Adora knew that the girl just needed a hug and a warm place to sleep most times she was stressed. If she wanted to dance, Adora was going to make it happen. Not to mention, she missed being close to her. She pulled the brunette into her, looping her arms around her neck. Adora had to pull Catra’s hand onto her waist with a giggle.

A new song came on and between the new beat and her hands on the blonde’s waist, Catra’s confidence was boosted. The two moved in sync almost perfectly. They both fell silent, Catra not spewing any snark for a record three minutes straight. Adora’s hand moved from over her shoulder to behind Catra’s neck. Her nails dragged lightly through the fringe of hair at the nape of the brunette's neck. Catra nearly purred at the contact. The blonde’s fingers shot electricity down her spine. 

Catra’s grip tightened on the blonde’s waist and a hand reached back to the small of her back. Catra was surprised to find skin under her fingertips; she hadn’t realized the dress was backless until now. Adora mindlessly let out a breath at the smaller girl’s touch. Catra noticed the noise immediately and grinned. She took the opportunity to dip the girl. Adora let out a little gasp and her thigh mindlessly slipped between Catra’s thighs. Both froze for a moment before swinging upright again. 

Catra’s brain was sprinting in circles. A moment ago, she was convinced that the blonde could never want her back. Now she had caught the girl in a strangely intimate moment, she was questioning that thought. The way that she had slid her leg was miles away from being just-friendly. This was all very intense, very quickly for the girl. As the song ended, Catra’s hands swiftly pulled off of the girl. Adora immediately missed the contact.

“Come to the after party,” Adora blurted. “It’s at my house, George and Lance are out of town.”

“Are all of us invited?” Catra replied immediately. She wanted the girl but that didn’t mean her walls had fallen.

“Of course!” The blonde replied easily.

“Seriously?” A guy chimed up from somewhere behind Catra. She spun to face him. “Adora, You’re going to let the Fright freaks in?”

“You’re golden grew up there, right next to me, you prick,” Catra bit back. Before anyone had a chance to react, Catra’s fist made contact with the preppy boy’s face.

Everything moved quickly after that. The boy stumbled backwards and was caught by two of his friends. When he came back up, he was bleeding from his nose. One of the guys lunged at Catra and was met by a swift kick to the groin, A second guy came up on her side before she could get her arm around to stop him. Catra braced for impact but instead watched the guy’s feet leave the floor. Adora had grabbed the guy by the back of his jacket and literally lifted him away from the brunette. Catra wasn’t sure if she was impressed or turned on.

Suddenly, Ms. Weaver was upon them. “Catra, you are to leave immediately before I decide whose fault this might have been.”

Catra left with a growl and a dirty look shot at anyone who dared to look at her. Golden girl and her prep boys were getting off free and she was being ejected from the stupid dance that she didn’t even need to be at in the first place. 

“Catra!” Adora called out after the girl, but the brunette didn’t turn to look.

Adora followed the girl out and called after her with no response. She became quickly frustrated with the rapid rising of Catra’s walls again. “Why are you ignoring me?” 

Catra stopped in her tracks. It was her fault for forgetting that she was the bad guy for a moment. It was her fault for participating in a stupid school activity. Of course things wouldn’t be easy. 

“Listen, golden girl,” Catra seethed. “You go back and live your lovely meathead life. I will get and stay lost. I can’t stand being near you dumb shuts anymore.”

“Why are you always so mad at me?” Adora asked, her voice so sad that it nearly softened Catras response. Nearly. Adora was right in front of the brunette now. 

Instead, Catra pinned the girl to the wall by the collar of her dress. She stared up, eyebrows furrowed and angry tears sprang into her eyes. She tightened the clothing in her fist, and yanked until Adora slid slightly down the wall. They were face to face. Catra knew that Adora could have picked her up and flicked her across the room if she wanted to, but she didn’t. She slumped against the wall with shocked blue eyes and her stupid innocent face. The brunette let out a frustrated growl. 

“YOU LEFT ME,” She exclaimed. Suddenly, it was all escaping her lips. “You got new friends, a new home, and a new family. You deserted me just like everyone else in my life.”

Adora gasped lightly at the brunette's words. “Catra, I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“You always leave me,” a sob rushed through Catra’s lips. “Why should I believe that this time could be any different?”

“I didn’t think that you wanted me in your life anymore!” Adora exclaimed. “I thought that I was everything that you hated, that by staying away I was making your life easier.”

“What did you want, Adora?” The girl’s mismatched eyes sought desperately for anything in the blonde’s expression. 

Adora grappled for words. It wasn’t in her vocabulary to voice her own desires. Hell, she didn’t even know if she had desires anymore. She had spent the first three years of high school pleasing everyone. She did what they needed, memorized plays, participated in event after event. She was proud to be a part of something bigger than herself, but she hadn’t really done anything just for her in a long time. 

“Why don’t you call me when you decide what the hell you want,” Catra released the girl and turned to leave. 

Adora acted on impulse. She grabbed the smaller girl by her wrist and pulled her back into her. She wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist, “I- I want you to stay.” 

“Fuck,” Catra swore. She gave in, fully. Her body slumped into the blonde’s, head leaned into Adora’s chest. “I would stay but I got kicked out.”

“Just... stay here, for now,” Adora replied softly. She tightened her hug around the girl.


End file.
